So much has already been said about Blade Runner 2049 – director Denis Villeneuve’s follow up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult sci-fi classic – that it’s hard to know where to begin.

The film – which, like its predecessor, draws upon Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep – has received near universal acclaim from critics, which is nothing short of remarkable for a sequel weighed down by 35 years worth of expectations!

But amid reports of underwhelming box office returns, casual moviegoers might be left wondering if Blade Runner 2049 lives up the massive amount of hype cinema buffs have built up around it.

The honest answer is no, probably not. However if Villeneuve’s film isn’t quite the masterpiece it’s being hailed as, it’s always good and often brilliant, and most importantly, serves as a worthy continuation of the Blade Runner story.

It’s becoming something of a dubious tradition for me to post outrageously postponed reviews in January, a custom only further perpetuated by the decidedly late arrival of this look at La La Land.

Now as then, the reason for this delay isn’t procrastination (well, the main reason anyway…), but rather it comes as the result of me mulling over my initial, complex reactions to what I had seen.

Because for all that Damien Chazelle’s musical has wowed audiences and critics alike – just this week it received a record-equaling 14 Oscar nominations – I have to admit that I had (and still have) mixed feelings on La La Land, even as I can’t deny the incredible craft that lies at the heart of the film.